The Itch and the Blonde
by ace-x-love
Summary: Wally ends up catching the chicken pox and somehow Artemis ends up watching over him.


_Author's Note: One shot, please tell me what you think. ;)_

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With every second that ticked by as he looked at the clock, the itching sensation became more of an issue. His stomach was grumbling loudly which only bothered him even more. Signs had been put up all over the cave, courtesy of Megan, for him to stay where he was and not to touch anything. The Martian sweetheart was great but this was torture. Not to mention how she had informed Rob of his "condition. Simply put he wasn't passing up a chance to torment him even more, and since then his phone hadn't stopped ringing with message after message from the bat brat.

His mother had banished him out of the house for a few hours as she found a way to decontaminate his room which was starting to look like a garbage pile. She left specific instructions with his uncle Barry to make sure he stay put in the cave while she fixed up this mess. His uncle had told half the team which included Conner, Megan and Kaldur. Kaldur had retreated to Atlantis where he believed there might be a type of underwater plant that might help with the itching. Megan had rummaged through the kitchen where she couldn't believe there wasn't a single sign of chicken soup. With this discovery she insisted Conner accompany her to the grocery store. Which only left one person who didn't know about his "condition" and he preferred to keep it that way.

Unable to resist sitting still any longer he pulled the covers off of him and got up to reach for the remote. That's when he heard the computer wake up reciting her entrance.

"Artemis. B-0-7."

_Fantastic_, he thought.

He hears her footsteps coming closer through the hallway until they've reached the living room where she finally catches sight of him sitting on the couch. Then his ears perk up hearing her cruel chuckle.

"Chicken pox, seriously?"

"What are you even doing here?" He grumbles.

This time her voice comes from the kitchen where she's digging through the cupboards until she pulls out a bag of chips.

"Babysitting."

He turns to face her with a stern look as she walks back over snatching the remote inches away from him. "What was that?" He asks, "Sorry thought you just said –"

"You heard me." She cut him off taking a crunchy bite, "Babysitting the sick speedster."

By now she ignored him as she flips through the channels taking a seat next to him.

"Who said I needed a sitter?"

"Flash."

"What?" He exclaimed.

"But really I think it was your mom." She focuses her eyes on the TV screen where she finally settles on a movie channel.

"What!"

"Would you shut up?" She turns to him rolling her eyes, "God if I knew you were going to be this loud I would have brought some tape to zip your blabbing mouth."

"Oh please –"

Before Wally has a chance to flinch the blonde has somehow pulled a crossbow as if out of thin air. She points it at him annoyed.

"I said zip it."

He gulps.

"Got that?"

"Fine." He turns his attention to whatever lame movie she's picked that's playing. After a couple minutes and several loud chip bites you can hear his stomach grumble loudly. He groans.

Wally realizes he must have gotten too focused in this movie that he must have missed where she got up and headed back to the kitchen; because only seconds after his loud crumbling, Artemis is sitting back down with a pile of sandwich's.

"Here," is all she says when she sits hugging her legs forward and facing the screen.

Surprised he waits a second for her to take it back.

"Are you going to eat them or should I just give them to Wolf?" She comments.

In a few seconds he's devoured three sandwich's and he's working on the fourth one when it suddenly occurs to him how it is she can even be sitting next to him.

"Hey," he says in between bites, "aren't you worried about catching my germs?"

She turns to him with a face that almost wants to laugh at him. Then she sighs, "For a science nerd you're really hopeless."

But before he gets a chance to object she answers, "I had the pox when I was six, kid genius."

He stops chewing for a second. The question has suddenly shifted into an eerie silence. Because to cut it short the blonde hasn't said one word about her past, until now. Artemis realizes this too and knows there's no way it'll stop him from wanting to ask her more. So she doesn't let him.

"So what gives?" She says breaking the silence "couldn't bring your lazy butt to make a lousy sandwich?"

Wally continues munching on his food, "Oh ha ha." Then gulps, "Rob's hacked the whole place making sure the camera's alert him if I get up and touch anything."

"He told you?"

The red head nods over to the table in front of them where his phone lays blinking with dozens of unanswered messages.

"I gave up after a while."

Artemis puts her bag of chips down and makes a grab for his phone. "Hang on."

Wally watches her tinker with the device unsure of what she's even trying to do. "Whatever you're doing it's not going to work."

"That so?" She says with a cheeky smile tossing his phone back at him.

He looks down at the sent mail box where she's replied back with a bunch of snarky comments.

"Wow thanks a couple of points for me, how does this supposed to help?"

"This kid at my new school showed me a new trick where I can make a couple of messages multiple into more then they seem." She explains, "And a few nights ago GL taught me how to insert this virus on regular devices that would affect phones and other similar gadgets making them slowly shut down. So when they try to revive it whatever data was on there before would already be lost to them making it unable for them to rescue."

Shocked at her statement Wally looks at her with wide eyes, "You didn't!"

"Except I did," Artemis had a wide grin on her face.

And then with no explanation the two burst into a fit of laughter. It turns into one of those odd kinds of things where you can't help but laugh and just when you think you're done another rush of it comes back. So as the two sit there with tears in their eyes and holding onto their stomachs as they begin to hurt, they finally stop not able to go on anymore. Wally looks up at her first and takes in the sight of her for once. She's more than obnoxious half the time but he didn't realize she could be this easy to get along with. Artemis wipes her silly tears away and slowly her chuckling comes to a stop as she catches sight of him looking at her. In that moment she doesn't see the unbearable speedster she's used so much to seeing, instead she sees this guy looking at her like he would look at a girl that he's known his whole life. In that one look there was peace between the two and maybe even more if it hadn't been for the arrival of the rest of the team.

"Wally?" Megan calls.

"We're in here Megan!" Artemis stands up meeting the Martian where she flies in.

"Oh no," Megan sighs glancing at their mess by the couch, "did you already eat?"

"Nah its nothing babe," Wally says, "I got plenty of room for that soup of yours."

And just like that the moment passes and night soon falls. The speedster settles back in his room cooped up with his laptop were he watches another movie. Then next to him his phone buzzes with a new message. Clicking pause on the film he opens it and is just as surprised to see who it is.

Artemis writes, 'Ever hear back from boy wonder?'

Quickly he replies with, 'He was furious. Says he's going to get me back.'

Artemis: 'As if - what's he going to do blackmail you with your batman boxers?'

Wally doesn't know how to reply for a few minutes, so she texts back first.

'That was supposed to be a lucky guess. I didn't – hahahhaa!'

Wally: 'How'd you even get my number?'

Artemis: 'Are you wearing them?'

Wally: 'You didn't answer my question.'

Artemis: 'You're totally denying mine. Hahahaha.'

Wally: Like you've never cuddled with your old blankie.

Artemis: 'I'm sure you have.'

Their chat doesn't last much longer since he ends up giving up. With upsetting thoughts he answers, 'Forget this I'm sleeping.' But before he actually does he changes her name from his contact.

Would you like to change 'Artemis' to 'Blondie'? The screen asks, he clicks 'ok.'

He doesn't worry about the itching that night instead he dreams about her warm laughter.


End file.
